General note regarding this publication - The Technotic Times,
is an electronic publication produced by Linda Leigh/Dj L3 & Restless
Rob Levin. To subscribe/unsubscribe/redirect send mail to times@technotica.com
with your request and complete, correct info on the e-mail addy you are
adding/deleting. The archives are maintained at www.technotica.com. The
subject matter is music - mostly underground electronic - covering the
areas of experimental/intelligent/ambient/head-set
stuff, techno, acid,
electro, dance/funk/house, chill out/space out/go crazy/breakbeats, and
fusions of the above…and, all of it cutting edge. It contains some news,
views and lots of reviews 'ala the Technotica staff. Contributors are welcome
to submit material & reviews for publication in a future issue, with
full author credit as payment, and the satisfaction of knowing your words
will live forever! :-)

Special Announcement!!!!!!Please welcome Thomas Emerson Alexander who arrived August 6, 1999
weighing in at 8 lb. 8 oz, 22 1/2 inches long…newest member of the Technotica
team and future DMC Mixmaster champion!!!!! Many thanks for all the kind
wishes and thoughtful notes we received in the weeks and months leading
up to this incredible day. Thank you for sharing your love and regard for
us.

====================================================

GREAT MUSIC IS FOREVER FRESH!!!

I had a very eye-opening experience the other day in my fave local
rekkid shop….I've been a faithful customer there since '91, so I always
get treated right. This particular day, after my regular order was rung
up, the owner asked me if I'd like to look thru some of the stacks on the
side wall. He said I could have what I liked for $1 apiece. Great, I said,
I'm always up for a bit of a hunt. While looking thru the bins, I discovered
many fabulous releases, some from only a scant few months ago. I asked
the owner what was up. He replied that the customers were demanding only
fresh, brand new, of the moment releases and would have nothing to do with
back stock, even though that stock only happened to be 2-3 months old in
some cases. I found find after fabulous find, and those of which I had
in my collection already I told the owner that he must sell these particular
rekkids to somebody, that they were too good to let slip by!

Many times I make sure I integrate older tracks in with the newer
stuff, even devoting whole sets in a show to 'older' releases. My library
of music transcends time and genres...I may play mostly new releases on
my radio & net shows, but I never forget my old faves, cause I know
that much of the audience has never had the opportunity to hear most of
that stuff. I'm always on the lookout for people selling off their 'old'
records at low prices...I think it's a damn shame that they sell them...well
too bad for them, and good for me and my listeners, for I have picked up
on many a gem this way!

Now, I don’t have to tell you that there’s a tendency by some folks
- too many - to dismiss releases that are not ‘of the day.’ Well coincidentally,
I caught the thoughts of Jus Paige & L. A. Williams of CHISEL Records
that was sent out as an e-mail with their regular label newsletter. It
was also included in copies of a recent release, 'German Broadcasters -
Radioactive'. With their kind permission, I quote it here - words that
I believe speak forcefully to what having a true appreciation of this ever
evolving, complex and wonderful music demands:

-- . -- . -- . --

"If You Haven't Heard It Yet, It's
New To You!"

"Everyone in the underground music industry knows, whether you're
a deejay, fan, record store owner or buyer, distributor, or magazine, that
this is an over-flooded market. And as the number of new records released
around the world has increased to roughly 3,000 every week, so it seems,
has the shelf

life of each record become shorter and shorter.

We want to point out the offense that this general disregard hurls
onto the brilliant works of so many talented artists of our time. No one
person can possibly claim to have his or her hands completely around the
vast offering of underground music available today. So why are records
considered to be old after 3-4 weeks on the shelf? If we looked at lot
of "Top 10 Hits" lists out there, a lot of you would be very surprised
at how many records we could find that were more than 2 years old before
they became "hits".

If a record is good, it transcends time. And if you haven't heard
it yet, IT'S NEW TO YOU!!!!!

Peace and Much Respect To All, and please pay attention to all of
thee masterpieces you haven't heard yet sitting on the shelves of your
local record shops!!!

Jus Paige & L. A. Williams

CHISEL,USA"

-- . -- . -- . --

=== = = = = = =

TECHNO RANT - or - HOW MUCH BRAINS
DOES IT TAKE TO GET INTO THE BEATS?

Ok, I kept quiet for awhile, and I think a lot of you know how hard
that is for me to do sometimes. But, I can not remain silent on this subject
much longer. I hear a lot of talk about 'Techno Snobs, Elitists', or that
this music is meant for 'Intellectuals.' And certainly, there is plenty
of in-depth examination of Techno music as if it were a treatise, a science
experiment, a patient on the couch…something to be picked apart element
by element, to be dissected to it's smallest molecule, to examine it's
philosophy, it's meaning, it's purpose….

Well, Holy Moley! I do agree that some Techno (as is the case in
all forms of music) transcends just being something that is pleasurable
to listen to, and goes beyond the limits of its basic form because it reaches
past the easily intuitable or comprehendable, and touches upon some deeper
truth that resides on a higher plane than our incomplete understanding
of the true nature of existence… However, I also know that for the greater
part this is music made for motion, dancing, for enjoyment…not for intellectualization.

Techno has developed and evolved as machines have…and humans have
always had a fascination with machines. What can I make this machine do,
how can I manipulate it to do something no one else has done…how can I
have fun with it, make it work for me, etc. From the very fist time someone
took a basic sound recording and manipulated it in some way involving technology,
or did a live performance using such a technique…then that was the origin
of Techno, if one's definition is that Techno is music made by using technology.
But, since we have a need to categorize things, to compartmentalize them,
then perhaps the term Electronic music applies to this whole thing. I really
don't care for it, but hey, it's made electronically, since you have to
supply an energy source to make the machine work, so fine.

But, back to the main thread… Intellectualizing this music will never
get you to where you want to go if what you are seeking is that special
place. By that, I mean that place where you can be transported and then
delivered. Delivered meaning obtaining a clarity, a freedom, a state of
ecstasy (and I don't mean the drug :-P)

To put it another way, the electronic musician must do the hard work
of threading the psychological triggers into the music, and a listener
is certainly entitled to seek them out like secret sonic Pokemon if he
or she chooses, but if the music doesn’t make your heart (and your feet)
skip a helpless beat when you turn off the intellect, then it just isn’t
Techno music of the highest order.

I've been buying, spinning, and dancing to Techno since, what,
'85? Lord knows when you can officially call it that, but I have some releases
from 86 that have Techno mixes on them, or that term used as part of the
title.

In the beginning, I really didn't see it as anything so different,
so special that it needed any explanation. All I knew is that it made me
feel good when I danced to it or mixed it. As the years have gone by, Techno
has become a more important 'form of music' in my bag of tricks. I admit
to liking a wide array of music, be it ambient, showtunes, gabber or polka,
it's great by me. But I have to reserve a special place in my heart for
Techno.

What other form of music can so grab one by the soul, turning you
inward then flushing it all out by the power of the mix? The very basic
rudiments of the genre force a repetitiveness that can be a dangerous drug
on it's own.

What other form of music can make a large gathering of (mostly) sober
people shake and shimmy, alone if necessary...stomping out the demons and
replacing them with a happy glow of salvation.

House music is close, getting a sweaty groove on can be good, but
the vocals can be distracting to me. This Tech-house stuff is all right,
but too much soul makes it too personal, too much feeling when I just want
to 'Lose It'. Funk is good, funk is primal and tribal and basic. Techno
can have lots of funk, and when it does, it gets dirty, and the intensity
rises.

So, when I keep hearing all this talk about Techno being for intellectuals,
and people discussing 'Techno Snobs' then I know they just don't get it,
or are unwilling to. Unwilling to what? To lose it, to give themselves
completely over to the beat, the hi-hats, the acid line, the little sounds
that fade in and out...to let their mind wander and travel with it...to
just let go. It's a hard thing to do, we want to be in control. Techno
lets us get just enough out of control. And by allowing that loss of control
we can ultimately gain greater control, and in the process grow and learn
more about ourselves.

But see, now I'm doing it…argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, in the immortal
words of Rising Hi records, let's just "Shut Up and Dance!", or as someone
else said, "Don't think, just dance!"

By the way…you don't have to be in a nightclub, or at a rave, or
even do some actual dance moves to dance.…..swinging your feet, tapping
your toes, humming along, nodding yer head, or just typing happily away
at a nice clip while the music plays qualifies in my book! Don't analyze
it, just accept it, enjoy it…let it take you somewhere, wherever it may
and don't ask why or where….open your mind.

Thank you :-)

=== = = = = = =

MUSIC TRENDZ

First off, I noticed something verrrrry interesting regarding the
flow of new releases. There is usually a slowdown that occurs twice yearly…once
during the 'dog days' of Summer (usually late August) and then again during
the Christmas/New Years holidays. I usually count on these slow-downs as
a time to catch up and take a breather…well, no such luck this year! Man-o-man,
rekkids are flowin strong 'n steady right on thru the entire Summer with
no sign of lettin up - and this is in all genres of dance and electronic
music, from House to Pop, Jungle to Techno, Progressive to Hip-Hop….it's
going strong with No signs of lettin up!

TRANCE- from dreamy to hard, acidic to psychedelic - it's popularity,
acceptance by the general club crowd and releases remains high.

TECHNO- the mixes in my archive get lots and lots of hits, and a
recent techno only net show had the highest listenership ever. People remain
confused over what it actually is, and so are willing to check it out when
it's presented in an interesting way. Most people would rather have the
stuff with lots of interest, twists, turns and innovations over the minimal,
marching, stuff.

D&B/JUNGLE- still amazingly popular and garners tons of hits
for the archived web sets! Wild basslines, churning emotions and sounds,
creative crafting, and the use of non-traditional time signatures will
get 'em going!

AMBIENT/EXPERIMENTAL - doing ok, there's an audience for it - the
more experimental, yet ear catching riddims do well…..good use of voice
samples as effects, and using the music to convey a definite mood or to
induce a particular effect do well. Lots more releases noted available
to the GP (general public) and increasing tours.

TRIP HOP- kinda getting harder or loungier, more experimentally inclined
and mixed with lots of neat cultural elements for a newer sound…our site's
hits up slightly.

BREAKS- great for partying…going from the crazy stuff to phat 'n
thick head-nodding stuff…lots of chances taken and boundaries explored…

LOUNGE- a new form of lounge has emerged, a sound that combines psychedelia,
electronica, jazz, and the indigenous sounds of many nations.

HARDCORE- The hits keep comin, although the releases increase and
decrease seemingly as the wind blows. But, watch for a change in popularity,
as normal people everywhere seek out this sound…a recent article in Spin
magazine may generate a lot more interest in the harder form of the genre!
In fact, the hits on the Hardcore mixes on the technotica.com website have
gone way up!

ACID- Y'all love the acid, and well you should cause that's the stuff
baby! Stay Up Forever is still crankin out the beloved kind - hard, manic,
thick and crazy - and thank goodness that others are adding the acid flavor
to their mix after too long an absence!!!!!

====================================================

====================================================

THE WORLD FAMOUS REVIEWS ALA L3

--------------------------------------------------------

NOTE REGARDING PLAYLISTS & REVIEWS

I have been sending my playlists out on a monthly basis to all music
makers, labels, publications and interested parties…in addition, all sets
archived on the website have their playlists intact in pop-up format. For
the last 2 issues, I have experimented with a format that repeats the playlists
twice, one intact, with the cut that was played for that set, and then
listed again for the review….but, ya know, that is just not workin out…so
here we go, back to a modified form of the original style where I break
up the tunes into 3 general categories…Techno/Trance/Hardcore, Funk/Breaks/House/Jungle,
Heady/Experimental…full length LP's and CD's are at the end. The only change
is, I'm not rating them on a scale anymore, instead, I think you can tell
by what I say and how I say it how good it is…in addition I have marked
the cuts I really liked with an *.

====================================================

FABULOUS FUNKY FINDS

I have marked the cuts I really liked with an *

ARLING & CAMERON - WE LOVE TO ROCK - EMPEROR NORTON…4 mixes of
this track which effectively combines the joyous energy of rock 'n roll,
the technology of electronics, a generous head-nod to past influences and
the band's own sensibilities. The 'Tofu Remix' has gated, treated vocals
(vocoder like), "We love to rock, oh yeah"…this is repeated a lot throughout
the piece. It's D&B rockin with electro influences that's fun 'n groovy…cool
synths and grindy ones and some very neat, kinda wild feelings make me
think that this may be what Kraftwerk might sound like now if they loosened
up, got high and decided just to do a track for the heck of it. The remix
by *Cornelius (of Tokyo) starts off with mellow guitars. There's a lot
of foreign speak, then it all just Rocks Out after a Fatboy-style build-up…it
then chills again with some cool percussion and guitar strums before rockin
out again…build up, rocks out (feels 'Who'ish'), chills with percussion
and the voices and after a big buildup and breakdown goes all out rockin…after
wards, it winds down. The *Radio mix is funky rockin…the vox repeats, the
synths pulse, there's some breakbeats and lots of neat horns circle reminding
me of 'Quadrophenia'. The Album version is breaky rockin with horny synths
(ala a Beatles feel)…the vox reps, and there's a nice breakdown with some
cute "yeahs" here and there…it all rolls off nicely.

BANCO DE GAIA - I LOVE BABY CHEESY - GECKO…4 mixes of the title tune.
First up, the Dub Pistols mix starts off with a staticy background, funky
downbeats come in a-rockin as a very cool take on a 70's funk guitar comes
in. There's great bass 'n acid, lots of background fill-ins - percussion
& other neat sounds move it along nicely, then it ends with crowd noise.
Then Banco de Gaia do a *'Skippy Mix' that's breaky 'n flowin wit da funk!
Choppy warped synths and vocal call outs of a foreign rap repeats as it
all goes beaty with great exotic touches and fun feelings. On the B side,
Wayward Soul gives 2 mixes, the *'Electric Cheddar Remix' is deeply winding
and trippy, with this repeating call/response that echoes downwards - "How're
ya feelin?", "It's fabulous, I've never experienced anything like it in
my life, it's great!" A Breaky bassy rhythm and lots of neat, deep undersounds
travelling thru make this a really cool tune. 'The Afro-European Remix'
is a slow, dubby, echoey, stretched out 'n trippy thing.

BODO ELSEL - DISCOUNT BABY - PLAYHOUSE…Ok, you know that game where
you try to figure out words to songs and what they might sound like? Well,
I always thought that the old Disco classic that goes "Disco, Disco Baby…"
sounded like "discount, discount Baby"…Looks like I wasn't the only one!
What a fun tune on the aptly names Playhouse label! The original is a deep
and dubby snappy stepper with the gurbly vox repeating that refrain. Then
those wacky Perlon guys take it over for the *Perlonized version. Full
of neat breaths and great clear snappy beats, the vox makes it even more
clear this is from that song, "Discount, ba-bee..beep beep…beat" as really
cool hollow percussion accents kinda take on the original classics break
melody. On the flip, Reinhard Voigt makes it harder, with a deep powerful
bassy beat nicely accented with sharp 'n brushy percussion, buzzin and
squidgy stuff as a male vox repeats the refrain, "baby, baby, discount".
Then there's the *Hal 9000 mix, a tuff 'n sharp hittin beat steps along
with low bass filling the bottom while the vox repeats and chops the refrain
with other vocal hits and lots of cool accents fly thru. Ga-roovy!

CIRCULATION - TURQUOISE EP - CIRCULATION…Paul Davis & Matt Jackson
continue this wonderful color series. A side gives ya strong 4x4 housey
beats with running tribal drummins, scrapy reps and percussion lightly
underscoring the mix. Muted keys come in with starry and synthy pulsings,
then bright keys play along for a lovely sunny day jaunt. The *B side starts
off a bit mysteriously with deep, whirling synths, then a resonant, serious
bassline comes in (with a sorta 'Sweet Dreams' feel). Shimmering, bell-like
percussion adds just the right touch to this vibe. At the breakdown, a
sweet voice sings, "music" amidst a lovely echoed effect.

CRAIG ALEXANDER - BUCKWILD IN BUCKTOWN - DUST TRAXX…The sleeve and
label sez 6 tracks…I see 5, so I may be off with one of the titles on the
A side. But never you sweat these details, there's enough good music on
this slab 'o wax to see you thru…in fact this one's been living in my gig
box for awhile! On the A, *'Groove Mission' is a funk-disco celebration!
Filtering some 'ala Daft, it has great slappin beats. 'State of Mind/or
Danceteria' builds up really nice. There's a fem vox urging, great horns,
brushy percussion and some extra funky steppin. On the B side, 'Good Feeling'
is a brushy percussive backed slappin stepper with a rising organ, piano
riffs and funky guitar like sounds. The last 1/4 features a neat talking
effect. *'Organ Strut' is stompin! It's got great strings, filtering disco
loops with a looped laugh and a crowd cheering! *'Pocket City' is very
deep and funky fun as it steps daftly with a neat vox.

CYLOB - REWIND! - REPHLEX…This one has gotten so much attention,
and it deserves it! Lots of fun to play and great production make it sound
phat. A vocoder like vox is simulated using a Mac program…heh heh, computerized
MC!!! On the *'Bonus Bytes' mix you got a great intro with this vox then
it goes into a great Electro-beaty thang which is clean, funky and gets
crazy with manipulations… "Rewind!" On the flip, 2 other mixes of the track.
The 'Vocal' version has that super-cool vox all thru set against a fast
and funky Electro beat that would have R2D2 really rockin! Then, the 'DMX
Krew Version' is more of a lowdown bassy Electro cut-up with neat synths
and melodic touches, and of course using the vox.

FREDDY FRESH - IT’S ABOUT THE GROOVE - EYE Q…The original starts
with an intro about Freddy then goes into a swinging Latin groove with
lots of funky beats and a Disco guitar feel, "It's time to roll"…this is
party music! The *'Powder Productions Remix' by Andy Hughes and Phil Kelsey
has filtery Disco loops, twinkly keys, claps, strings in space and lots
of atmosphere. It really gets steppin, "Hey!" The 'Dj Spinna Mix' keeps
the Latin party feel, and gets chill rockin with vox yelps, nice faraway
horns and a guy rappin.

FUNK 198 - STICKMAN…In *'Red', massive bass waves pound thru the
system, hats insistently hit, a low lying acid line keeps you in suspense…claps
build, a rising sound comes up…the acid finally asserts itself and that
sound reaches for a peak…Bam, it takes off and so do you, right to the
dancefloor showin yer best trippy moves, eyes rolled back. 'Charlie's Concept'
is a percussive steppin affair, where a guy talks a little here and there
about Charlie's concept of a new musical world against muted bell tones
that build and a deep bassline that goes into snippets from 'Around the
World'. 'Blue' is a deep tribal-house number with grunts and "come on"
vox reps, smooth low organs, a moody, kinda twirly, trippy atmosphere.

HALF PINT - GREEN LIGHT - HALF PINT…It's that crazy character, Green
Velvet at it again! Here, he assumes the non de plume of Half Pint, and
that suits the child-like voice that plays a cute game on the title track,
*'Green Light', that has a simplified Chicago beat, but as simple as it
sounds, it works really well! 'Peanut Butter Jam' is steppin! Bang 'n swish
with sticky percussion and a neat winding synth melody, oh yeah…the bass
is good! It rushes about, kinda like in intense suspense.

IAN POOLEY - THE ALLNIGHTER - NRK…The original is a twirly, trippy,
chill funkin downstep stomper with a neat little horn and a mechanized
vox rep that reminds me of the one in 'Around the World'. *'Ian’s Fierce
Dub Mix' is aptly named, for it is a truly fierce remix! All funked-out
and beatin down the doors. *'In The Bins' plays around with the percussion
in a free-form jazz way for awhile before breaking into a big-beaty bassy
stomper and then builds and builds a groove with lots of elements filling
in all the spaces on your dance card.

JAMIE ANDERSON - ABSTRACT LATINISM - ARTFORM…*'Rio Grande' rolls
and tumbles with a powerful beat and percussion. Picking up steam like
a freight train it literally makes you jump up from your seat and shake
your hips and get caught up in it's growing Latin-House influences. 'Bolivian
Nights' is a smooth 'n snappy housey stepper that flows with great washy
organs and other touches added here and there for interest. 'Oceanic' is
deep like the ocean, and smooth like it can be when all is right…the atmosphere,
the planetary alignment…but, there's a nice strong beat running thru with
a subtle intensity that reminds you of the changing, temperate nature of
this beast. 'Oceanic Impro' has groovy keyboards by Dave Buxton added to
the mix.

J.T. DONALDSON - EARTH…A nice rekkid to keep in the box. The first
cut, 'Transitions' is a sharply stompin, smack 'n step with great bongos,
nice housey organs, and live bass that makes a lovely, sunny melody. Next
up, *'The Slow Process' is a French, Daftly flavored filtery disco house
twirler that claps 'n stomps. A lovely feel of nice running percussion
washes in & out with a vox and a groovey bassline make this a good
pick! On the B side, *'Slipped Disc' is a smackin, stompin, funky groovin,
starry 'n sunny, bassy 'n smooth mellow thang with quirky poppins, choral
fly-bys, bright squidjens and a slight tribal feel…pick yer partner and
give them a twirl to this one!

MR OIZO - THE LAKES MONSTER EP - SNIFF…No titles on my copy - 3 cuts
that I like equally well J . A side is a
real jazzy, fun 'n funky cut…beaty with percussive accents, pulsing horns
and more horns, and lots of neat vocal inserts, "better do as he sez",
"get out", adding a kinda neat spy-like vibe. On the flip, the first one
is kinda similar to the flip - it's a bit stronger and weirder with the
vocal samples twisted up & reversed, very funky bass, horney pulses
and steppin percussive accented beats. The second cut is a wild scratching
affair with funky drop-ins, "Rock da house y'all…that was fresh." Tuff
B-boy beats with an electro touch, then more dance oriented beats come
in mixed with long synths (a slight Madonna ala 'Holiday' feel).

ORANGE KUSH - ZAT - BOTCHIT & SCARPER…I LOVE this label! To me,
it stands for quality funky stuff with a sense of humor. 2 deep, rockin
cuts, that I like equally as much! 'Zat' is a laid back smoker made for
serious head-nodding! There's hummin all under, choral sweeps, flanged
electronic bass notes & drops and a guy talkin about your mind, relax,
float downstream. 'Recoil' has deep bongo work with an echoes, swiping
vox that drops in and out as a fuzz guitar slides within. Neat change-overs
to scratches, then back to the fuzz 'n bongos with added bass hits for
a neat psychedelic rock feel.

PAUL HESTER - BEAUTIFUL WORLD - PAPER…*'Beautiful World' is aptly
named, it starts out with a steppin brushy beat and strummed acid pulsings
adding deep, ruff tone to this chill setting as claps echo and the brushings
increase and multiply. Zips flash by, blips pulse and a very sweet twinkling
tone makes a melody as deeply inlaid choral elements appear and layer with
muted strings that flux. It slowly and beautifully builds up and breaks
down smoothly, deeply - it takes up again and flows dreamily on. On the
flipside, *Life Force' has really neat scrape-back-beats with neat percussion
accents that transform into tick-backed steppin ones …bass comes flowin
in deep and low with some horney feelings and various cool, slightly odd
sounds…breezy synths,choral touches and the sound of waves float by. 'See
the Light' opens with a rainstorm, lovely choral synths, deep bass drops,
flanged acid waves and pulsing/chopped keys…then combines it all with a
shaky percussive downbeat for a regal, stately feel.

PSYCHO CHIXX - MR. CHENGS'S QUALITY TUNES…This duo from Belgium gets
dirty 'n funky with these 2 b-beat electro groovers. *'Psycho Chixx' is
a bangin choon with steppin beats, supa-horned out buzzy acid, lots of
neat trippy exotic touches and a rep vox of the title. 'Don't Stop The
Rock' is a crazy rockin track (ov course!) with monster percussion and
lots of horney acid. It filters some and also has vox reps of the title.

TERRY MULLEN & HALO - THE SPEAKER PHREAKERS - SMILE… *'La Nina'
is a bangin tribal cut that really funks it up good and mooooves, baby!
It filters down some at the break with some piano then swoooshes back into
the action with yelps and butt-shakin percussion. 'Nickle Bag da Funk'
is kinda similar, although it feels more in the Latin/Tribal vein that
builds some seriously jazz-funked feelings and a steppin groove that grinds
from down low to rise with the supa-funky sounds.

THE INNER THUMB - SOUL ECSTASY (FROM THE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE
SOUNDTRACK) - EMPEROR NORTON…2 tracks here on this EP, with a remix of
one of them. Interesting Story on this one…Fulton James was an ex-ABA basketball
player who decided to take part in the social revolution of the time…1969.
He wrote some, demonstrated some, was jailed some…then returned to writing.
He found financing for his film in various interesting places and people…including
the Black Panthers. The story goes, that a fight broke out outside a theatre
where it was being shown one night, and the next, someone set fire to the
theatre, it got a lot of bad PR, and the film was subsequently withdrawn.
The guy got very depressed and himself withdrew…he died in a fire in his
home in 1979 and all copies of the film were also destroyed. Some stills
do remain, and, the soundtrack. From the sound of these tracks, I can only
guess at the extreme funkiness and get-down that this movie had! 'Soul
Submarine' has moody, muted synths, cool sexy Spanish guitars, rolling
groovy bongos, shakers, neat flutes and funky organs for a wild 'n groovy
a go-go! 'Citroens 'n' Sitars' is a sitar driven bass funker that's real
cool and deep - the drums are especially nice making for a very, very pleasing
mellow groove pattern. *'Citroens 'n' Sitars - '99 remix' is quite an exotic
'n psychedelic funker! A sitar crazed, drummy rockin thang with lots of
spacey sounds 'n efx, neat vocal drop-ins, some nice acid, and it's like,
wow, man! Warped, wild ', wicked.

THE WHITE RABBIT - KONTRABAND…This is a great label that pretty much
defies categorization by putting out quality and quirky stuff. It's always
funky and fun though! 'Fly Momma!' starts with a slight Tribal groove,
then a guy talks about how "peoples minds got opened, got listenin to music…"
this sample is cut up and set against a very funky and jazzy moovin groove
that's kinda deep and flowin and sexy. *'School Daze Mix' builds slowly
with brushy percussion and acid twirplings. It breaks into a funky downbeat
breaky groove with bass accents, metal hits, and scribble scratchins. Full-on
now with an slight Electro feel as the acid winds down and around, spacey
things come in and out, and an occasional vox snippit all combine for a
real nice trippy, chill track.

-------------------------------------------

HEAVENLY HEADSTUFF

I have marked the cuts I really liked with an *

CAPITOL K - SONG FOR B - ELFCUT…Wot a package! Great concept, and
a hellovalotta work went into this one! 4 very interesting cuts of Electronic
jazz for the millenium! *'Song for Belgium' has a very sweet intro with
twinkling as light drumming with an undercurrent of strong bass takes over…voices
call out as it goes deep, funky and strange and gets pretty wild 'n wacky
rockin out with neat use of feedback. *'Wisdom Teeth' begins with deep
ambience…clicking grows then slows as bass gradually gets pumped in and
signaling sounds lead to deep, low 'n lovely Aphex like tones with deep
bass drops and great scrapings. 'Song for Banana' is an odd, thick mix-up
of rockin percussion, exotic song, trippy efx and police sirens, it reminds
one of Aphex Twin's 'Logon Rock Witch'. 'Arabs' starts out with a pleasant
combo of ticking and twirly keys pulsing, then acid stabs and eerie low
tones flow thru and scraping stuff like an amphetamine cricket sounds off.

HALLUCINATOR - RED ANGEL - CHAIN REACTION…Play this main cut 33,
45 or just about wherever you like the feel of it…thick, deep, dubby hypnotic
stuff with lots of gurbles, brushes, twinkles and a neat lil' stop/start
like the loop is being reset. It grows more intense as it goes along to
further enhance it's effect. On the B side, *'Sethos' has a deep Egyptian
feel as bongos slowly beat, bell-like sounds, exotic feelings, and echoed
effects slide thru the mist. 'Phebes' is a deep, ambient, mysterious piece
with layers of long, mutating, trippy synths, far off tribal drumming that
grows closer and a large cloudlike, enveloping atmosphere.

RFT - V/A - DIN…The interesting experimental label Din gives us a
nice selection of treats from their artists, with a bit of a twist. There's
a neat ambientish, clicky Intro and a deep, moody Outro that echoes the
feelings of the last track included! Traktor 9000 starts it off with 'So.Weit'
a very deep atmospheric downbeat, clicky, swishing, echoey piece. Dynamo
then does 'Auben Vor' a deep & sparse yet thick combo of sharp electronics
and pulsing bass making a moody melody. Dynamo comes back on the flipside
with *'Aufenthalt' another excursion into deepness with sharp accents that
keep at you, only relenting to the echoes playing catch up as various atmospheric
effects slide within. PS finishes up on *'Freak Walk' feels like your trying
to pick your way thru some very sticky mud in a dark and lonely swamp late
at night with a full moon rising.

THOMAS FEHLMANN - BLOW UP CHIMP.OVER.FLOW MINUS-TWO. - APOLLO/R&S…Wonderful
complex stuff that'll make yer system work for all it's worth! My only
'criticism' is that there are so many identifying names to this EP! The
original versions are taken from the verrrry interesting album, 'good fridge.
Flowing: ninezeronineight'. Ok, on to the tunes -*'Superfruhstuck (Trashaestheticversion)'
has a dubby, thick atmosphere charged with bassy beats and changing backgrounds
and accents throughout…voices, trippy efx and echoed organ ladders help
make a nice chill mood. 'Wee wee mademoiselle (Rmx2)' goes a 'twirlin and
a clickin with neat percussion backgrounds and warped, strung-out horns.
*'Wee wee mademoiselle (Full Diversion)' sets a real nice moode with jazzy
drummins & percussion, an abstract horn, neat bass pluckins, sweet
synths…it gets more expansive at the end. 'Superfruhstuck (TFlowingmx)'
takes plodding 4x4 huge beats and washes them down with waning synths and
adds a dollop of spacey trippy backrounds.

------------------------------------------------------

TANTILIZING TECHNO 'N TRANCE TREATS

I have marked the cuts I really liked with an *

AUDIO TOTEM POLE - FIRST IN SERIES - EIGHTH DIMENSION PROMOTIONS…A
mysterious and lovely piece of work from an unknown producer. *'You Are
Tired & Beautiful' is some smooth sh*t! Lovely chill synths wave like
curtains in the breeze…nice beats get ya movin and the track builds slow
& good. A deep bassline and little acid squirpins tease and it gets
funky! 'Touchtones' is a chill sunny groover, perfect for an outdoor bar-b-que
or a sunrise set! Trippy synths, lovely sounds and shakity echoed brushes
of percussion make a beautiful deep piece.

CHRIS LIBERATOR & THE GEEZER - SMITTEN…Once upon a time, there
were many labels all across this great planet which saw fit to produce
and release proper quality bangin acid. Now, alas, that time, is passed…but
the need, the hunger, the desire for it does still remain within the hearts,
souls, and dancing feet of its followers. Thankfully, the good folk over
at Smitten & their sister label, Stay Up Forever hath not forsaken
us. Here are 2 cuts, 'Our Shit Is Out There' has a big, bold, and beautiful
acid line, a steady steppin beat and a repeating vox reminding us that
this label's "shit is out there'…smooth in a party vibe kind of way. *'Bad
Day At Black Frog Creek' is crunchy stuff indeed! A real step 'n stomp
banger, the acid is restrained a bit, but very nicely and judiciously used
to the best effect. Lots of mental poingings 'n scrapings, a great bassline,
nice percussion that rolls off the beats, and a crazy sound that winds
thru here & there making ya feel like yer on a careening subway…dark
runnin, lights flickering thru the turns, slowing briefly at the next stop,
and promptly off again on its subterranean journey.

D 000 - V:00:00 THE SECOND COMING - D…Paper-*'Lip' It starts strong,
and stays strong…bangin and hittin, bleepin and crashing with a repeating
synthetic sound that sounds like it may be saying something (probably quite
evil!) to you. Poke-*'Your Girl' runs along with deep syncopated beats,
fast flippy/clicking and windswept sounds...hmmm, sounds like 'your girl'
just may refer to your car when she's purring along! Ikon-'Coqui' is a
chiller, deeper thang with hollow beats that roll-off the percussive backing…crickets
chirp, the bass grinds down and strange echoey sounds float thru. Poker-'Voice'
is a changeable thing. Buzzin along with silly poppity percussion and cool
beats that have a downbeat feel make you feel like yer moving backwards!
Winding grated vocal sims and all kinds of odd things add to the fun.

DETTINGER - BLOND - KOMPACT…Hard to find deep techno & experimental
stuff from Germany with 4 untitled tracks. On the A, first up is a chill
deep groover with hypnotic looping synth pulses, light bell tones and hard
hitting percussive accents. The *next track opens with lovely, lush, expansive
sounds where the beats grow organically from this fertile mist yet lie
close to where they sprung letting this luscious atmosphere protect them
from the suns harsh rays. On the B side, track *one is a mechanical/working
funky beater that grinds deeply away assisted by some snappy/clicky percussion
and low-lying organ stabs…it grows really well with the beats getting stronger
and the intensity raising. The second one has long synthed ambience and
grindy super-frogs going along as percussion slowly builds making neat
patterns…light keys tap in to play along….beautiful, deep, moody…may bring
a tear to your eye.

DDR - SMITTEN…Both of these tracks take their inspiration from the
film 'Fear and Loathing…' and as such, are steeped in a sense of depravity…dark,
hard trance that's a far cry from this guy's usual method of tune terrorism.
*'Madness' is a deeply bangin tune, runnin with darkness. The vocal samples,
"there was madness in any direction, any hour…" comes in and out, a repeating
bloopy trancing sound draws you in, and fiercely funky drop outs and layers
of sub-sounds get the point across. 'Their Eyes' is a big, steady, deeply
bass-ted banger. Hug those speakers baby! A evil-treated vox sample drops
in here and there while layers of spreading percussives and a scraping
sound build and build in intensity rising to a fevered pitch.

DJ DAN - NEEDLE DAMAGE/THAT ZIPPER TRACK - MOONSHINE…Fun dancefloor
fodder fer sure! *'Needle Damage Mix' has neat shakity, camera clickity
accented strong beats with claps…it get real grindy and zippy…drops out
into some weird cool human beatbox type stuff & other interesting elements
and goes off, probably taking you with it!! 'Beat Box Bonus' gives you
that human beatbox thing again with a bit more of a beat. 'Needle Dubbage
Mix' is a real strong mover with percussive beats that get huge, lots of
whippin acid accents, thunderous sweeps, and a grinding bassline. It all
drops down to a ruff rub that 'zips' back…sirens and other stuff comes
on in to the mix to keep the fun going!

DJ RUSH - REMIXES PART 2 - MENTAL GROOVE…'I Wanna' is the original
tune on this here package…it's the side with the nasty picture, and it's
a nasty tune. A guy talks about learning his lesson, quits lookin for love…goes
on talkin about this girl and then what he wants to do to her…There's breaths,
deep stompin beats. Percussive washes and these funny odd horn blats and
horny acid…sexy & dirty. *'Ooo La La La La La La La La' is the Electric
Indigo remix - It's really neat and different! Deeply stompin, steppin
'n sexy lo-down funkin with whispered loops, a great upright bass and some
clattery, clickins that trots and cantors. The *'Dj Sid Remix' is fun!
Loopy jazz techno! A loud cacophony of voices, noise, funky upright bass
loops, percussion and steppin beats that gets real crazy, man!

ERUPTION - CHANGING CLIMATE EP - SALVATION…'Soulshower' is a real
mover! Strong 'n grinding beats, metallic percussion, hits and brushes,
galloping wood blocks that later form a groovy pattern, talkin changing
synth reps…half in long synths and big sweeps come in (ala' "Red'). *'Ghost
Dance' has an unearthly quality about it…drippy thwackins repeat quickly
as big 'n growing character beats form a great bassy rhythm with key accents
and furious hats lead the way to swiping, wiping synths. 2/3 in, it all
clears up some as the keys come upfront with some percussion and the elements
alter some as they reintroduce themselves while you are being whispered
to.

GERMAN BROADCASTERS - RADIOACTIVE - CHISEL…*Herford Side, 'Radio
Broadcast(Kick Mix)', starts kinda chill with a broadcast sinewave…deep
beats and flippy acid 'n synths slide in with that old German trance feel.
It builds up beautifully, the beats gain strength and the percussion adds
the perfect touch to this smooth ride. On the Hamburg Transmission side,
'L.A.'s Knob Mix', beats are clear and strong with a neat tick-tock 'n
ringing background that forms a hypnotic circling while building layers
of light percussion. A harsher version of that signal comes in & out,
along with other necessary elements, as the track builds intensity for
a very deep trancing effect. Pressing slightly noisy.

HENRIK B - FEBRUARY - COUNTDOWN 2000… Second in the series of monthly
releases leading to the year 2000 by various artists…3 untitled tracks
of techno bangerisms. On the A, first up is a fast moving, hypnotic number
with pulsing croaking that with repetition will talk to you, a runny bassline,
sticking percussion and occasional braking/turning sounds. The *second
is a HUGE thang! Very strong and deep scrapy 'n floppy bass (that later
gets quite strong and pounding) backed with metallic doubled hits, lots
of great percussion accents 'n washes and a strange vox rep that comes
in and out of this maddness! On the B side, it's a real vibe builder as
big strummins and a deeply imbedded and rubbed bass gets accented by sharp
claps…it chills out for a bit as the wind sweeps thru for a moment to cool
you down, a voice comes in, and then, it's off, beating big and rough,
strummin hard, lots of hits and brushes of percussion and an intermittent
grunt and vox.

HENRIK B - INTE BARA B - P SOUNDS… I usually like about 3/4 of this
guy's work…same goes with this ep…I found the first cut, while having some
bright happy movement, it felt kinda 'canned', the beats are good, and
underlying voices interesting, but the accenting sounds seemed video-gamish.
Or maybe that's the point of these 3 tracks, to sorta take a theme and
work it thru, take it thru it's paces. Because the second cut, kinda has
the same driving feel, but takes it into deeper territory with shakey &
knocking accented deep beats grinding and neat layers of synths working
thru a thick cloud. Then, the *last track completes the series with driving,
grinding beats amongst a thick atmosphere of whirling synths and running
percussion. The track builds strength as it motors along hypnotically with
just enough of a twist here and a turn there to keep the ride interesting.

IFACH COLLECTION - IFACH…P.Ford/I.Loveday does 'Dead Eye v.1' that
has an uneasy mood with long synths and strings and deep bassy doubled
beats that are surrounded by claps 'n hats softly accenting. Voices throughout
make you feel a bit anxious, as do the other little sounds coming in and
out. *M.Broom's 'Stairway Skank' is a hypnotic involvement study in minimal
techno with movin beats and key pulses that both form subtle changing rhythms
accented with brushy hats, cool. M.Broom/P.Ford/T.Melchior come together
for 'Pukka Your Lips', a haunting lil ditty that combines signal tones,
submarine and choral pulses, beaty bassy deep beats, tappings, brushed
sticks, and other odd sounds. M.Broom/P.Ford with 'Lost Secret' is a minimal
piece that repeats and strengthens as it goes on with strong beaty beats,
elastic acid and hollow 'n brushed percussion.

MARK BROOM - EP - CLEAR POSITION…Mark is an excellent producer who
appears here on this always interesting Belgium label courtesy of another
excellent label, Pure Plastic. 4 cuts of varying shades of techno. 'Mango'
is a big, deep & bloopy twirler with percussive 'n hat washed beaty
beats for a hypnotic involving loop track. 'Bubblegum' is big, percussive,
trippy, bangin 'n horny with cool filtering for seriously getting into
it. *'Agent Blue' has flippity quick 'n rollin beats that are deep 'n bassy
- low to the ground. Grindy horns grow as mindful squinches of percussion
go deeper for a track that helps fuse the others around it - good to use!
*'Bubblegum Beats' is stompin! Big 'n bad with great percussion…soulless
techno can be a good thing, just dance!

MICROWORLD - SIGNALS - TRANSMAT…A notable label not heard from in
a long time! 'Signals' is a chill affair that takes awhile to build up
some steam. Organ-ized pulsing, tapping hats, background twinkles twirling
as military-style beats come in very low and slowly get stronger as signaling
sounds loop and trance. *'Smile' starts with a lovely synth intro, then
some jazzy bass thumbs in. Echoed beats, claps, a sweet low-lying long
whistle sound and a piano join in for a chill Detroit Techno journey. Fair
pressing.

MOLE PEOPLE - 3 UNTITLED - TEKNOTIKA(MOPE)…Well, the label on this
says the artist and track names are unknown, but I know something, this
is good, fun Techno! *'Untitled(straight mix)' is a scrapey 'n bleepy mover
with nice percussive hits 'n brushes, big, deep, powerful beats and quirky
breakdowns. 'Untitled(funk mix)' is just that, funkier, with slower, more
dramatic, echoed beats. *'Untitled' beats big and strong 4x4 with a stretchy
scrapey acidic bassline, strong percussive taps, brushes, and drum accents.
I like it!

NIGEL RICHARDS - IT MUST BE NICE - 611 RECORDS…Yo Nigel! Heh heh…you
can count on Nigel to bring the acid, bring the funk, and a dollop of the
weird! *'It Must be Nice' has a German trance feel to it with strong marching
beat that echoes with hollow droppings, light tappings, mechanical drill
pulsings and nice zipbacks…a whispered vox repeats the title. The drill
sound builds and warps as the vox becomes more insistent and intense. Neat!
'Connect 4' has a deep, strong 4x4 beat and metallic ringing accented toms,
sticky 'n shakity percussion teases and abates as the metallic stuff gets
stronger, then it's back in to combine. About 1/2 in, acid, very low, scribbles
in and gets a bit horney along with some neat synthwork and hat accents.
*'Simon Sayz' has deep, sexy 4x4 beats of a percussive nature…a mourning
dove coos as far-off knocking reps and mental low-slung, muted synth pulses
rise & fall.

OBSCURUM - SUBTLE CHANGES - MECHANISM INDUSTRIES…A kinda mysterious
plastic bagged slice 'o techno wax via Germany. 'Support' is just that,
an excellent Dj tool with a crazy, out of control orchestra! *'Main' fades
in, in progress…beaty mental techno. It's kinda confusing, kinda frightening…things
are going on, I don't understand…can I cope with this? Who am I? It beats
with sticks, kinda deeply stomping with many, may layers of insanity…very
strange! *'Medium Term' is a whirling, hypnotic with looping sounds and
galloping broken beats as sounds come in and out, rise and fall as percussion
washes thru…very mental! To be twisted, yes, you feel like you are…deep,
but not too much so. 'Ammunitition' is a big, clattery, looping techno
stomper that has percussion washing in waves and a slight tribal feel.

PABLO GARGANO - METROPOLITAN…Evil Trance! *'Devil In Heaven' is one
of the best hard trance tunes I have ever had the pleasure of hearing,
and, it uses samples from one of my favorite (albiet scarey!) movies, 'Jacob's
Ladder'. Starting with real ominous music and the speech about "making
your peace…devils are really angels freeing you" and his female friend
repeating "anybody in there, anybody home" set against grinding trance,
that's big and powerful with gorgeous breakdowns using great choral work,
some breakbeats and lots of frightening stuff that'll have you looking
over your shoulder! 'Bypass' has big steady beats, an evil atmosphere of
whooshes, grinds, gurgles, shakes, and pulses from a variety of sources
all keeping a forward feel. 'Sound Abuse' is kinda housey and deep. Trancey
layers pulse and several acid lines gurgle and throb while soothing pulses
and backgrounded percussion do their thing. It all drops out and gets real
spacey, then, "This is the Police speaking…this club is closed, forever!"
it picks up more energy from there and beats off.

RICHARD BARTZ - HOLOGRAPHIC EP - KURBEL…4 un-named cuts on an excellent
pressing! On the A side, *#1 is a Wow! A big start with pulsing sounds,
then Huge beats with big time Techno sounds, massive bass and a slight
tribal groove. #2 is deep and repetitive with spacey, smooth cool sounds,
huge bass and pulses. Flip 2 da B side now, *#1 has big, heavy, steady
beats, and an urgent feeling that sounds like a freight train a-comin!
Oh No! It's blowing it's whistle and clatterin' down the tracks toward
your hapless car, stuck on the tracks. Lucky for you though, a bit of angelic
intervention ensues in the form of some housey influences and a far-off
vocal call…salvation! #2 is a jazzy influenced chill, deep technoid number
that works a real smooth groove for ya. Nice stuff!

ROBERT ARMANI/FEEDBACK - CROWN ROYAL FUNK EP - HIGH OCTANE…Oh My
Gosh!!!!!! This is some excellent hard stuff! If yer lookin for something
to fill that hard 'n funky void in yer heart, then this puppy will brazenly
nip at yer ankles baby! 6 chances to get down 'n dirty. *'Spunky Funk'
gives you the Funky funk! It's horny, clappin, has a great guitar sound
and is full of big bassy beats that stomp, brush, knock, groove and move.
*'Lay The Beat Down' is bangin with echoed trails, hi-hats, claps, hard
beats and super brushins that swish deep. 'Endless Journey' is drummy and
kinda deep with sharp percussion, urgent clapping, pulsings and funky squidgens.
*'Beat Revival' is running with sticks, claps, stomping hard beats, brushy
percussion and gets crackly as it grinds deeply with a slight 'Rez' feel.
*'Sleep Deprivation' is a Supa-Stomper! Great rhythm on this one with hard
snares and neat pulsing strings. It's very involving as it runs and flows
deeply. 'Just Tweaked' is lush, deep, pounding, with sharp claps and twinkly
metallics that ring deeply.

ROBERT HOOD - RED PASSION 2 - DUET…Aw Yeah…this is the kind of Techno
that gets the vibe up! Smooth, deep, intricate, hypnotic and strong, Robert
Hood always delivers! On the A, there's a strong steady beat, pulsing keys
that accent upon themselves and neat scrapity flipitty floppity tickity
tockity percussion runnin around. The *flipside is more upfront and powerful
with trippy things woven throughout as the beats stomp on, the percussion
brushes and ticks, the organs pulse, neat keys wind around themselves and
play sweet little melodies and the artist plays little tricks with the
tempo.

ROXY - NO PILLS - ASPRO…Sometimes an original version of something
is best left alone. First off, I never thought that the original had a
'pro-drug' message, just the opposite…here's this spaced out woman, desperate
for an answer, "what do they use, drugs, hypnosis, what?…I have to have
my pills!" and the repeating refrain, "no pills". Anyhows, if you need
the original cut on wax, and I'm sure you wouldn't mind having this song
in yer Rave archive, then here it is - just ignore the remixes.

RUSH - THE BOMB - HIGH OCTANE…Rush is the Bomb! *'Ejection' is a
super cleanly produced super banger! Doubled marching beats with a nice
scrapy accent on the downstroke, layers of neat sounds and percussion that
come in with some really intense ones taking center stage for a bit then
subsiding. 'Plunge' is kinda weird! Starting with some clicking/popping
and a strange squid sound that gets all flanged and stuff, percussion builds,
then strong deep 4x4 beats present themselves…breaking down to the streams
of percussion and that ticking sound, it then gets really tuff on the beats
with a nice rhythm to them. 'Impact' is bending 'n turning, buzzing 'n
ticking with metallics and kitchen implements, huge beats, steam pipes…it
breaks down into dark places…I see this at 5am when the smoke and vibe
are thick as molasses and everyone is in that state of timelessness. *'Detonation'
is an amazing huge track!!! OhMyGosh!! I can't even imagine, no, scratch
that, yes, I can imagine this in a big warehouse…oh the destruction it
would cause! Big ass beats, lots of thickly layered undersounds, streams
of percussion and hard edged clappings and the warning blasts of a train
roaring thru.

SALT TANK - DIMENSION - HOOJ CHOONS…A trance tune so beautiful and
moving, I had my hands in the air and tears in my eyes the first time I
heard it. I've been an extremely picky buyer of Trance for the past few
years…I don't like it dreamy, too synthy or piano laden, and there's been
too much cheezy stuff. But, I've been noticing a return to the good old
hard trance that I love - and coupled with the fact that I've been a follower
of Salt Tank for a number of years led me to pick up both discs of this
baby. Disc 2 has the *original, which is a deep bassy beater with hovering
and an angelic chorus woven thru (becoming prominently displayed at the
breaks)…whirlin, twirlin keys and a nice percussive backing complete this
beautiful tune. Then Origin does the '3 Dimensional Dub' that starts with
that chorus and adds strong, clear 4x4 beats, a horny acid line, upfront
claps 'n hats…psychedelic synths flutter, and there's a great breakdown
with thunderous efx. On disc 1, Salt Tank do the *'Voices of Reason Mix'
that beats harder than the original, and seems more upfront, assertive
and full…very intense and driving. Then ya got some breaky acid with Hybrid's
'Audio Candy Remix'. It's atmospheric, whirlin and hypnotic with great
bass, acid, sweeps, a start 'n stop feelin, and an added piano line…it
all breaks down to the chorus far-off and some acid.

S.O.L. - QUANTENSPRUNG - SUPERSTITION…The *title track is a big one…very
strong fast hard beats with a running underneath that's accented by steady
sticks, then galloping woodblocks…the runnings increase intensity as the
scenery flashes by like telephone poles out the car window. A dramatic
swell of synths rises as the big rigs pass us flashing their lights…and
we give chase…heck, the cops can only catch one of us! *'Solaris 1' plays
with the balance of sound, beats from here, percussion from there…then
a great shakity percussive accented grindy bassline ala' 'I Feel Love'
reps…hats stream in, low long synths slide and slink and shiver. A nice
cool-down piece. 'Solaris 2' has hard steady beats, running woodblocks
flipping, percussive elements in and out…lots of sublayers of low pulsing
synths, acid, whooshes and atmospherics…gets really big 'n hard! Great
hard trance.

STEWART S. WALKER - JET FUEL & LONGING - BELIEF SYSTEM…Trying
to actually describe the sounds this guy can make is a difficult task…so
please take all such descriptors in the broadest sense, cause they go well
beyond the meager words used herein. *'Self Reference' grows and builds
upon itself as the track unfolds. Bloopy and knocking bass that's deep
and subtle gets up some funkafied force and steppin rhythms with clattery
and sharp hittin upfront percussion attention getting sounds and a groovy
grindy bottom. 'Proof of the Long Dark Night' is a deep & bassy starry
journey filled with layers of mysterious sounds, subtle horny synths and
brushes and way upfront clicky stuff. *'Separation' is really neat! A snappy,
crackly feeling with brushy reps develops along with acid blips then some
really neat big bass comes in. Layers of flowing synths add melodies and
emotions to this seemingly harsh environment. Deep & lovely experimental
chill stuff! Thank goodness this track has that crackly, poppity feel because
I dropped the rekkid against my record box's metal hinges and scratched
it and it doesn't make a difference! On the next track though it does L
Oh well. 'White Noise on the Horizon' is deep, spacey and smooth, melodic
with laid-back brushiness and some upfront sticks and other percussion
laid against flowing and gated sythns and pulsating organs. BTW, keep an
eye on this guy!

TRANCESETTERS - ROACHES - TOUCHE…Well! We haven't heard from these
guys in awhile, eh? Here they are with 3 great tracks to set things straight.
'Roaches' is a powerful, deep, thick bassy thing with grinding beats and
pulsing synths…a guy repeats, "underground forever baby, we're just like
roaches, never die, always live". After the breakdown, it gets a bit housey
with great keys…the last third really builds up lots of steam. *'Spooky'
has deep, bassy beats running, sticks hitting, and it's rollin with an
eerie kind of vibe - long spooky deep syths and thunder and a slight squeeky
turning sound…it talks to you…nice! *'Snuf-fert' is, oooh! Nice 'n deep
with a huge feel that's kinda eerie…there's multi-layers of stuff like
breathing, flutes, grindings and a big knocking bass…and it gets really
funky!

UNDERWORLD - JUMBO - JBO…3 re-mixes of a tune from the new album
on this import 12", and I actually like all three of them cause each one
presents a different flavor in a well done way. Rob Rives & Francois
K do the 'Main Dish', a good mover with lovely keys, grindy repetitive
rubs and a good paced beat with lots of spacey percussive accents. The
vox is vocodered and there's a lot of deep acid and spacey efx moving in,
out and around. Jedi's 'Sugar Hit Mix' has a deep & spacey feel at
forst, then as warped synths, nice keys and scrapity scrapins wash thru,
and vocal reps come in deeply, big beats develop and a full trancey sound
ensues that's grindy, washed & flying…dreamy! *Future Shock 'Worlds
Apart Mix' has pulsing synths at the onset, the full regular vocal comes
in and is throughout…percussion builds and big, clackity deep beats, long
strings and bird sounds all help make a deep 'n lovely piece.

UNITED EFFORTS VOL 1 - INTERFERENCE INVENTION - G-FORCE… M.Honolink
with *'Rotator' has a spy-like vibe…an acid strung plucked running beater
with a deep scrapey interior that's perfectly laced with percussion. Svart/Vit
does 'Trekant' a deep smooth rollin'n'turnin hypnotic stepper that gets
you involved within it as the percussion pulls you in with it's interwoven
effects…lots of little bleeps and a really cool long string with a machine
warm-up sound in the second half assist the mental feeling. Per Mikael
P is *'Lost in Attraction', a strong scrapey banger accented by two-timing
sticks and deep claps that grows in intensity…it gets some really neat
watery, trippy synths stroking and filtering. Dylan Drazen tells ya about
'Jimmy Despues', a funky character. Doubled 'n stick hit rollin beats and
deep organ-izations rise up and flow thru. The beats clear to straight
up strong ones for awhile and a bit of synthetic gee-tar accents helps
the mood along.

VERRACOCHA - CARTE BLANCHE REMIXES - DEAL RECORDS…The original (not
included) of this popular Trance tune is done by Vincent de Moor and Ferry
Corsten. Here are 4 great remixes for all yer trancing moods… The *'Hitch
Hiker & Dumondt Remix' intro's with spacey sounds, chill beats and
foreign voices in an echoed background…it then breaks into percussive backed
trance beats and rhythms with nice, deep synths that get joyful & horney…great
energy! *'Der Ritte Raum Remix' has big stompin beats, twirly synths, bells
and deep trippy layers with acid…it filters out good for the break…Funky!
'Origin Remix' gives you strong electronic pulses that stream and echo
as percussive backed strong beats and twangin acid take control…it filters
down slowly, then back up for a strong trancer that does lots of lovely
stuff with twirls and flying things…near epic, dramatic! The 'French Edit'
is dancey! It's swirly with a dream trance-like piano and a wonderful,
beautiful full sound.

VIBE BAR REJECTS - SMITTEN…These 2 are penned by label head Steve
Smitten and the lovely [lovely?] and talented Dave The Drummer. 'Disturbance'
is a hard 'n deeply runnin thing…grindy, sand-in-the-gearbox acid pulsates
beneath the surface, as big rigs swaying dangerously with 500 ton loads
pass your little Fiat on the superhighway as you struggle to maintain control
of the wheel, and decide, 'oh, the hell with it,' let's race 'til the death!
Yeah, there's big beats, acid and percussion aplenty if you need to know
that stuff. *'70mph' goes for the big stompin beats followed closely by
poppity percussion…the beats change to a triple time pattern and a strummin
deep synth grows and pulls you along into the ring…swirly sounds pass like
the wind around you…70mph may not seem so fast, but with the roof down,
hair a-flyin, on a glorious day, in extreme traffic as yer weavin in and
out, "throwing burning cigarettes out the car window" and perhaps the odd
popcorn ball or two at other motorists, and avoiding that annoying copper
who's relaying the info via his radio, it's quite the thrill…well…at least
until yer caught!

WHOOP COLLECTION 2 SAMPLER - WHOOP…2 tracks from the mixed CD, giving
you a nice idea of what this label is up to. Heck, I always make sure to
check them out after that wonderful 'Open the Floodgates '99' track! On
the A, there's *Ground Zero with 'Fallout-Full Blown Mix'. A feel good
tune of stompin Goa flavored trance. It's got a big whooshing, whirling
feel, a pulsating buzz, a dramatic breakdown, and intricate layers of percussion,
synths, etc…wow, what a nice ending piece! On the B, it's Human Movements
'Traveller's Theme'. It starts out with a long windswept mysterious intro,
ooh! Then, it's off! Wild, horney, dramatic, big acidic trance with lots
of male spoken bits about being a traveller, "I seek only transportation
to see & experience your reality". There's a big break that's windswept,
and then builds with body vibrating bass buzzin, "energy….very powerful"…really
hectic!

X MEETS Y - SMITTEN…Gizelle and Dave the Drummer meet up here for
a melding of the sexes via music. *'13.5% Extra' starts off with some filtered,
percussive breakbeats then some Huge, banging, scraping 4x4 beats are laid
on top with squirrelly synths that trance, pulse 'n flow, while some nice
deep acid makes for a big movin booty shaker. *'Let it all Flow' is hard!
Percussive with big beats, scrapings, and cool vox reps, "Let it all flow".
It's twirly, swirly, and will sweep ya up as it builds and builds with
runny acid that gets horney, and features mentalism trance-formations…near
the end, the obvious gets stated, "I like my music loud." Oh yes, loud
indeed.

====================================================

FULL LENGTH & CD'S

ENDPOINT COMPILATION 01- ENDPOINT/DUSTTRAXX…This is "Chicago's newest
independent label, signing avant-gardists from around the world, and releasing
some of the most innovative and provocative experimental sounds being produced
today." Here are Restless Rob's takes on the tracks-

-Rehab. Vs Skycraft 'How Many More Times Can We Fuck This Up?' -
Is there something wrong with my CD player….? No, this is just an oddly
mechanical texture.Maybe there is something wrong with my CD….

-Second Man 'Bound' - Mysterious Casio Funk with a TickTock beat
and electronic squiggles. More of a doodle than a full-fledged track, but,
"hey Mon, is interesting. Know what I’m saying?" Check out the Koto-esque
breakdown.

-Kush 'Moon Boots' - More space/arcade sounds…then what sounds a
heck of a lot like a 606 snare… A pleasant journey, even if not to anywhere
in particular.

-Salvo Beta 'Crossing the FM Marsh(a Remix)' - Spacey, ethereal,
and quite demented, sort of like banging you head by accident…over and
over again.

-Second Man 'Abusing Rob' - Sampled, sliced and somehow scary, while
at the same time silly. Fun, but is it music? P.S. Don’t answer the phone!!!!!!!!

PUPPY/DAVID HODGSON - APERTURE - CDR…David is having much success
doing it the truly independent way. He's an active member of several list
discussion communities, is a productive member of society, and a prolific
artist whose music has been well received - it not only crosses boundaries,
but is innovative, engaging, very full, layered, emotional and very well
produced. There's 10 tracks on this project that will definitely impress
you with the range of sounds and influences contained. Please note that
when I describe a track as being D&B, it actually falls into that category
only as far as the general beat patterns…he makes his own, distinctive
derivation of the form. Here's a rundown of the flava of the tracks-

*4-ruff tuff attitude, D&B big beats strong with lovely bits,
neat experiment with the stop 'n start-like paragraphs in a short story
each one tells a little bit different angle and goes on a bit more into
the tale, you don't really focus on the music elements here-more the feel
of it...

His web site is a testament to his work, check it at - http://www.puppy.org

KUMQUAT - ST - KUMQUAT…So, this guy, Fred Church, offered this CD
of his free to anyone who responded to his post on a certain Net-discussion
list. I sent in my request, and a scant 2 weeks later was pleasantly surprised
to find it in my mail...and was quite impressed! The packaging, the art,
the CD design, heck, even the box it was sent in was all designed beautifully!
The concept of it all is sampeldelica with a great sense of humor and a
good beat. On to the tunes. The first one *'Circle Stars' is one of the
best - it's light, sweet, fun 'n funky. A woman's voice, like a kindly
teacher intones names of shapes while neat acid sweeps, strings, chill
beats, bells and such keep the heads nodding. *'In the Wonderful World
of Science' has funky acid, funny samples, some cuteness, great drummins,
xylophones and other sounds. *'The Windmills The Fairies' is very funky
'n groovey in a chill kinda way…it's got lots of neat German vox samples.
'The Lawn is Gonna Die' is kinda weird 'n fun jazzy music and voices set
against a neat downbeat with nice piano, twinklings, percussion, horns,
and acid. 'Gradually Expanding Rutabaga' is neat! Acid-rock…spacey, funky,
chill and wild! 'Everyone is afraid of Clowns' is downbeat, ala Trip Hop,
but lots of fun, "dum dum dum dum dum"…there's a great old-time organ,
neat voices, a scratchy rekkid sound and strings. Other tracks have a guitar
driven space-rock sound, some 70's loungey rock, groovy funk, and lots
and lots of amusing sounds and voices…definitely something here will catch
yer ear, so seek it out!

Check his website for fun facts about his music - http://www.thelocus.com/kumquat

THE KING - GRAVELANDS - ARK21… Well OK then. When I first heard about
this, I was like, Ok, I'll give it a spin, it sounds interesting. Then,
when I actually heard it, well, in between laughter was a realization that,
hey, this guy Really does sound like a re-incarnation of 'The King'. No,
not 'The King' but an amazing facsimile thereof! This guy, James Brown
(no, not That James Brown!) is a married, father of 5 postman in Belfast
who "has been blessed with Presley's singing voice". The concept on this
CD is to have him do songs by dead rockers, sort of a 'tribute'…"What would
Elvis Presley be singing if he were alive today?" asks the press release,
answered by this interesting selection of tunes, including a Presley hit,
'That's all Right Mama' (Really good! So close!). My faves here are, 'Come
as You Are' it's real good, feels fine…great inflection and emotion…I think
Kurt would have liked it! 'Voodoo Child' is wild…Elvis would have approved!
"Whole Lotta Rosie' Rocks out! 'I Heard it Through the Grapevine' is pretty
funny actually, well done, kinda eerie in a way. Take a listen if'n you
can to this, you may be surprised…btw, I heard his live show is really
something!

I'd like to extend my sincere Thanks for all the great feedback I've
been receiving on behalf of 'The Technotic Times'! I hope you like the
new format. You know, information IS power, and I believe in sharing it,
so, send anything you may might want included in future editions on over!